


The Sound of Silence

by FeatherQuill



Category: The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Fluff and Smut, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 21:57:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4851938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatherQuill/pseuds/FeatherQuill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee Pace doesn´t speak since he turned six. At sixteen his parents hire someone to take care of something they just can´t.<br/>Unfortunately for them time doesn´t stop and Richard, the man they hired becomes more to Lee and vice versa - 10 to 15 years down the line,  will that be enough?<br/>Richard doesn´t know anymore, Lee neither.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sound of Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Well , I don´t know how this came to be but then again I watched "The Piano" and something about that movie struck me and this is what came out of it. I do however hope that you enjoy this little thing and feel free to let me know what you think <3

At the age of six Lee Pace had stopped speaking. It had been a day in April, not yet warm enough to be spring and not cold enough anymore to be classified as winter. Nobody could really say as to why the once so sunny boy had decided to close his mouth and trap the words inside his head instead of letting them out in the world and after a few years the world had seemed to stop caring.  
Most of the people around him assumed that he either wasn´t right in the head or that he was mute. He could life with that and now he was past thirty and a well known Photographer of Still life – ironically enough. 

Not that he would need to work. His parents were rich and they behaved like most rich parents with a challenged child. That´s what they called his condition. Never referred to as anything else, even if he could see it in some peoples eyes.  
When you don´t talk to people they mostly tent to react frightened, so he had been home schooled. 

No, he never had been dumb, just a regular boy, growing into a man that didn´t talk. Lord knew, they had tried to get him to talk. Gingerly rubbing his nose and stretching on his bed he remembers the one day that his father had had enough and his hand had slipped. 

Oh, he wasn´t mad about that, but he remembers. Remembers the stinging and swelling in his face, the sickeningly cracking sound of bones. His nose never grew back together in the right way but as always he never commented on it. Back then he had been Sixteen and his parents, lovingly and loaded - and helpless, had decided that it would be good for Lee to have someone to look after him. 

_“You know, it´s in your best interests honey. You know we love you.”_

He knew all that, knew it still even if his father could never look him straight in the eyes or at his slightly crooked nose again. It was the summer after that incident that Richard came into his life. First he had frowned upon a nurse, a male one at that but his mother had pleadingly looked at him and her hopeful smile was it what had him change his mind.  
That, and Richards eyes. They were blue, kind and not judging while looking at him. Yes, Richard had been the first one to really _look _at him and it had thrown him. Richard had been hesitant at first and really, teaching him sign language had been a pain but it had worked out in the end. Had worked so well that they understood each other without anything but looks after a while.__

__Richard wasn´t really a nurse, at least to him. For his parents the other man had been nothing more than another expansive toy in a endless row of toys that Lee would eventually grow tired of Richards company. No, when he thought of it – Richard had become much more to him than a nurse, or a butler or whatever his parents had in mind. Richard had become a friend, a brother. Focusing bleary eyes on his alarm clock, Lee sighed. Richard had even helped him getting his own place, handled everything Lee couldn´t do because it needed someone who talked. A slow smile spread about Lees face at that. He loved Richards voice. The way he rolled certain letters and how very much all his manners flew out the window when he was drunk._ _

__Lee had witnessed Richard drunk, really piss-drunk only once. It had been his Twenty Fifth birthday and Lees parents had decided that they needed to throw a party. His mother had told Richard to wear a tuxedo, something nicer – if he got what she was getting it. Richard hadn´t been thrilled but he also knew that it wasn´t exactly a suggestion, more or less an order. The thing when you didn´t talk was that people also forgot you could _hear_ what they were saying. Random things, like how bad the weather would be, how they wished that everything in their life would change – things about their pesky neighbors, all of that. And Lee heard. He heard every fake sentence of sympathy , every lie that was thrown his way, right into his face. _ _

__Richard never lied to him and he hadn´t done that on his birthday back then. He had turned on his heel, polished shoes clicking on the hardwood floors of his parents house, scowl firmly in place._ _

___”Can you believe that! She wants me to wear a monkey suit! To fit in. Do you even know half of the people down their shoveling overpriced seafood into their gobs?”_ _ _

__Lee had shaken his head, unruly hair flying and Richard had given a snort, sitting down and declaring he wouldn´t go down there and that Lee wouldn´t have to do it if he didn´t want to. By the end of the day they had hidden in the attic with the finest bottle of scotch that Lees father had owned, emptying it without even thinking about going for glasses. Richard had looked at him but not a word had left his mouth as he had reached up and cupped Lees face.  
_”I wish you would talk to me, tell me what you feel, you know. It drives a bloke mad, being around you all the time without knowing. Not that I can´t see it in your eyes, no – I can see it all there.”__ _

__At the tender touch Lees eyes had fallen shut, lashes fluttering against his cheeks, heart beating against his ribs like a caged bird that wanted to be freed but wasn´t able to fly. Sometimes, he felt like that, too. Caged and pinned down in a life he didn´t want but not ready enough to break free of his prison because he was afraid, used of the comfort golden bars provided. Richard never mentioned the kiss that he had pressed to Lees forehead that night and Lee had forced it to the very back of his mind, where it belonged._ _

__By god, he wasn´t a closet case and he did have boyfriends in the past, way before his parents had gotten wind of that. But Richard had noticed and endured. Endured sneaking them around the house, throwing them out when he felt the need to do so. Those times were past now, as Lee had his own place and made his own money. Still, something was missing. There was a nagging inside his chest, right behind his breastbone, lodged there like some unpleasant feeling that refused to go away. With a last sigh, he rolled out of his bed, looked in the mirror and grimaced. It was winter once more, the roofs outside his bedroom window covered in a blanket of soft snow, the morning sun not yet up and the world around him quiet._ _

__Dressing in nothing but sweatpants and a loose fitting shirt he padded into the kitchen, absently stroking Carl behind the ears. It also had been Richards idea for him to get a dog, joking half heartily that he wouldn´t be the one jumping to each and every command that was thrown his way, so they had gone to the local dog shelter and found Carl. The name had been Lees idea and Richard hadn´t been able to laugh all the way back to Lee´s place. It was a look that suited the other man, Lee thought. The way the skin at the corner at his eyes crinkled and the light made his eyes seem different shades of blue._ _

__When he had moved out of his parents house he had begged Richard to come with him. As a friend, not as a nurse, or a butler – as his best friend and Richard had agreed to it after hesitating for quite a while and pointing out friends weren´t paid for. The painful tugging in Lees chest and the stinging in his eyes had only lessened when Richard caved in on the condition that Lees mother paid for his services – after all she didn´t have to know that the dynamics had changed._ _

__“Lee?”_ _

__Caught up in his thoughts Lee looked at Richard, who was sitting at the kitchen table, hands clasped around a cup of tea, eyes fixed on Carl._ _

__“I need to talk to you. Could you stop pestering Carl for a while and join me?”_ _

__It was said so quietly that Lee had to strain to hear it but he did what the other man asked of him, flopping down ungracefully on the second chair. Richard grimaced at his lack of manners but otherwise said nothing. Ignoring the cold tea in his cup, he reached into his shirt pocket to get out an envelope and handed it to Lee. Lee opened it with a grin only to let go of the piece of paper with numb fingers after a while. It was a neatly typed letter of resignation. His hands shook, fingertips growing cold from the grip he had on the paper. Something close to a chuckle wanted to rise in his throat and all air seemed to be sucked out of the room._ _

__Richard was leaving. Not in a month, not in a week – no. His eyes flickered to the packed bags in the corner of the room he hadn´t seen when first entering the kitchen but before he could ask why – or sign it, Richards hands grabbed his own, holding them firmly in place. Warm and gentle, Lee remembers that those are the two things he always appointed with Richard but now it felt like a sick joke, making him swallow until water drops from his eyes onto the tabletop. He doesn't even realize that he is crying until Richard is kneeling in front of him and on his knees, hands gently on either side on his face._ _

__“That´s not fair. Not fair at all.”_ _

__He presses through gritted teeth, making Lee look at him with an expression that is a cross between rage and hurt._ _

__“You can´t do this to me, Lee. I can´t do this anymore.”_ _

__Richards voice is broken, harsh – desperate. Yeah, he had become good at getting feelings from peoples voices over the years and he wonders why Richard doesn´t just _go_. If he knows what he is doing to him, twisting a knife right through him. There it is again, that nagging feeling he didn´t know how to place until it all makes sense. He opens his mouth in a silent scream, taking Richards hands in his, closing his mouth again before he tries again. _ _

__“Why?”_ _

__Richard is so started about something leaving Lees mouth after years and years of being used to silence that he falls flat on his ass, nearly hitting his head on the floor but Lee prevents it in time, his face angry and red, streaked with tears. His whole body trembles and he can feel Richard react much the same, fingers clawing painfully into his shoulders, leaving marks there no doubt._ _

__“Because I can´t stay.”_ _

__Is all Richard can manage to get out, lifting his hand to silence Lee. It would make him laugh, but the situation is far from funny. Richard takes another breath, words rushing out of his mouth like water rushing from a pipeline an endless stream that can´t be kept at bay while he stands, shoves and tugs at Lee until they nearly trip over Carl and fall into the yet unmade bed._ _

__“I can´t pretend to be your friend, I can´t accept money from your mother who shows you nothing but pity. I am not a toy, my heart can´t be winded up and I can´t be put away in a corner if you get sick of me. God I tried to ignore it, I did.”_ _

__Lee stops him, a finger at his lips, Richard warm and heavy on top of him. It distracts him for a moment but after a while his head is clear._ _

__“Richard.”_ _

__He manages, his voice rough from years of disuse but he tries. He never saw the need to talk but now, this – this is Richard. Kind and loving Richard, reduced to tears and about to leave because he can´t stand it anymore. It doesn´t come suddenly, Lee had noticed that. The subtle changes and soft touches they had exchanged had become more and silently, like everything else in his life, Lee had realized that he loved Richard. Really loved him._ _

__“If all you are going to say is my name then you have to let me go.”_ _

__Gentle, always gentle but cutting like a knife. Lee on the other hand is stubborn. He remembers every smile they shared over the years and he knows that their little world is tipping, right off its precious axis, yet he doesn´t let go of Richard. He can´t, so he sits up, pushes Richard into a sitting position as well and swallows._ _

__“Don´t leave. Please, don´t.”_ _

__Every word is like running a mile in a snowstorm, burns his lungs, makes his heart thump against his ribcage painfully._ _

__“Then tell me why I should stay. One good reason.”_ _

__Richard had been a patient man, once upon a time. He had been used to be around Lee, had loved the easy understanding that had transpired between them but the little traitor in his chest had betrayed him. They never had much of a strictly employee / employer relationship but the reason for his hesitation to move in with Lee -on his own, had been the same he had preferred to be around the other man in a house full of noisy people. He was in love and he didn´t know for sure if Lee would ever feel the same._ _

__Hell, he was afraid that he would shatter the glass of the snow globe they were living in, once and for all and yet he had given in. There was nothing in the world he could deny Lee and the other man didn´t even notice it. Sure, there were looks, long and silent, haunting him in his dreams. A pair of big hazel eyes, filled with emotions and quickly moving away when he looked. So he had come to a decision, finally made up his mind. Naturally that had to be the day Lee decided to speak for the first time that Richard knew him. It made things so much worse and yet – here they were and he allowed his damn heart to run away._ _

__“I love you.”_ _

__It is everything Lee can think of and it isn´t said in a rush. Well calculated and said with an amount of fear that makes Richard want to run to everybody that had ever dared hurting the other man. He knows he can´t do. It is all lost time, never to be gained back again. Other things, he can do, without words, without overbearing words that would only sound hollow and not nearly enough. Never enough. So he decides to let his actions speak, lets his hands slowly touch every part of Lees face and body, until the younger man laughs quietly under his fingertips, squirming away because he is ticklish. Richard soaks every sound up like a starving man, eyes fixed on Lees flushed face._ _

__He had dreamt about that face for a long time now, nearly exploding with jealousy every time Lee had brought someone home who could only look at him and see nothing at all. Oh, Richard saw. He saw the wy way Lees mouth would drop open when he nipped at his earlobe, how he would gasp when he pinched a delicate nipple between his fingers. He was done with waiting. Greed crawls up his spine and he leans closer, presses his crotch against Lees._ _

__“Say it again.”_ _

__He whispers into Lees ear, making him moan._ _

__“I love you, Richard, please don´t..please don´t leave.”_ _

__He stops for a moment, turning Lees face to his own, presses their foreheads together. He doesn´t say a word as his fingers travel downwards, enter with care and precision. He listens to every moan and gasp, watches the arch of Lees spine. He wants to listen, finally listen and own, because he loves Lee, has done so for so long that it made him doubt his own sanity, always on the verge of losing it completely. He tells Lee he loves him in every movement of his body, hips slotting together and he relishes in the sound of skin on skin until breathy moans turn into hoarse cries and finally silence again._ _

__There is no need to speak now with his damp hair resting on Lees heaving chest. He doesn´t even know how they lost the clothes but he knows he doesn´t regret it. The fingers lacing with his own are tender and long, artist fingers and he kisses them one by one, his heart aching a bit when Lee whispers again that he has to stay. He promises it yet again in actions, not in words. Untangling himself and after they both had a shower he eventually manages to unpack, hands trembling. This isn´t the end, he realizes and he needs all his strength to make his mind catch up with his heart._ _

__The heart is a treacherous thing, he knows, but Lee is patient and doesn´t say much. He needs to learn again how to use words and not say the first thing that comes to mind out loud, which still amuses Richard to no end, when after a dinner party at Lees parents house he tells his mother exactly what he thinks about what all of her friends in the Hamptons will think if they know that her only son is not only an artist but also hit it off with a common servant. It turns out, all the curse words that Lee never said, need to get out all at once and Richard has to drag him away before his mother gets a stroke and his father does more than sitting around shocked into silence._ _

__The two of them don´t go back there after that and eventually they leave New York all together, moving around until they settle in New Zealand – Richard as a carpenter, the one thing he actually enjoys and Lee finally taking the pictures he loves. It´s not always easy making ends meet but it something they both want and what makes them happy. Without words._ _


End file.
